It is generally well-known that the lack of tire uniformity has a substantially adverse effect upon the ride and handling characteristics of the vehicle upon which they are mounted. These tire nonuniformities include, or have been variously referred to as lateral force variations, radial force variations, concentricity effect, radial runout and the like. These nonuniformities can be determined by dynamic testing with or without radial loading of the tire by measuring variations in the radius, measuring the first and second harmonics produced by rotation of the tire, and the like. Illustrative of some of these methods, and apparatus for their effectuation are U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,490,277, 3,450,442, 3,577,780 and 3,589,182. While these methods and apparatus are adequate for the nondestructive determination of nonuniformities within test tires, they do not provide either a method or means for determining the probable wear between various types of tire constructions, such as bias ply construction, bias belted, and radial ply construction, or between various tread designs of tire of the various types of construction.
A predictive method and means for determining tire wear is extremely useful in providing design information for tire construction of various types or modifications to arrive at a tire design wherein optimum mileage can be obtained. Presently, reliable data on tire wear can be determined only be means of usage, either actual or from test wear from a dynamic rotating tire. In both cases the tire must undergo some form of consumable usage such as in the test fleet. Furthermore, the usage of the tire to determine actual wear is not only expensive, but requires a long period of time between actual construction of the prototype tire and the results from the tests. Accordingly, it would be extremely advantageous to have a predictive method for the determination of tread wear which could be used for further design work, modification or changes.